I just finished “Star Wars” (I can’t bring myself to call it VI or “The New Hope) on BD. And it was spectacular.

The video quality is vastly superior to the DVD version at least on the big screen, I didn’t check it out on my LCD. In all scenes the picture is noticeably sharper showing more detail. The black levels are much better and going along with that so is the colour saturation. Shadow detail is better as is contrast. There is simply no comparison between the two versions on the big screen. For reference if you have them the BD version of this is a bigger picture improvement than between the DVD and BD versions of the Lord of the Rings movies.

The only issue I have with the video quality is that it is noticeably inconsistent. Outdoor scenes like on Tatooine feel like you are standing there, whereas the indoor scenes tend to have noticeably softer look though not always. Most CG and special effects scenes are also outstanding.

Just for reference I did pop in the opening battle scene from “Star Wars III” BD, since I practically have the DVD version memorized since I use it for demo material. If you are going to try to compare the video quality of the BD version of the original “Star Wars” movie to this one then you will certainly be disappointed. The picture is so perfect it felt like being there. The sharpness of the picture gives it a 3d quality. It looks so real there were a couple of times I felt slight vertigo or like I was actually moving.

The audio does seem better but since audio memory is so short it’s harder to compare. In general the BD audio seems cleaner and more defined. Although there is limited discrete surround action when it is there it’s very precise. Ships flying past really sound like it. When Han shoots the blaster in the garbage room the shot bounces all around the room. Mostly there’s lots of music always coming from the surround speakers. So much so that it shut my 3007 down 3 times before I finally had to put a fan on top of it to keep it cool, and that was at -5 off reference.

There are some changes I picked up on in the audio. They got rid of most of the fake “radio” distortion when the rebels attack the deathstar, and I think some of the sound effects like explosions were changed some even deleted.

I can without any doubt say that if you are a “Star Wars” fan and have a big screen/surround system this is a must have.

I just finished the BD versions of “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Both of these are similar upgrades in PQ and SQ from the DVD versions.

The PQ improvements aren’t always as noticeable in Empire since a lot of the scenes are filled with mist, snow or other things that would naturally obscure clear viewing.

Though the PQ of “Return of the Jedi” is improved this one seems to show the limits of its special effects technology the most. In many of the “Blue Screen” shots the actors stand out like sore thumbs, their colours being drab and washed out against the vibrant background.

A couple comments on the audio. Though my made sure all my speakers were level matched by the middle of the Empire I had bumped up the rear speakers +3dB each to get them to blend correctly with the surrounds. I also bumped up the low pass filter on the Buttkicker to 50Hz to get any meaningful rumble out of it, but it’s pretty standard to have to put it around 50Hz or so to get anything much out of most movies.

I'm curious about the changes Lucas made on the new versions. Anything particularly egregious, other than the scream?

The only one that jumped out at me was how the audio of the radio transmissions in the ending battle of the original Star Wars movie sound cleaned up. However, I wasn’t really paying attention for changes just trying to enjoy the movies.

There is no doubt that the PQ of Revenge of the Sith is on a whole different level from the other movies. It also seems like there is more going on surround sound wise in these three than in the originals. Maybe it’s just because there is more action going on in a lot of places but there.

After watching all of them I realized that this was the first time I ever marathon watched the Star Wars saga. Viewing them back-to-back really made me realize how much more I like the original three over the recent one. The story flows through all three of the first movies whereas in the recent three there’s not much holding them together. Eye candy aside I prefer the original ones.

I'm working on the second season of Eastbound & Down. I like Danny McBride, so I find it easy to like. I really like the way they use music in this show, too. Always interesting choices, and it's a big part of the feel of the show.

We watched CBS Two Broke Girls and the reboot of Two and a Half Men last night (but not in real time because commercials suck).

Both were awful. Just stupefyingly unfunny.

I was absolutely delighted that Margo Martindale won the Supporting Actress Emmy for her role as crime family matriarch Mags Bennett on Justified. Her performance throughout season 2 of that show was simply riveting. Honestly, some of the best acting I've ever seen anywhere.